Part 8 (2/2)

This historic old port delighted Le Mire at once I had told her so of its story: its successive bombardments by the liberators fro expeditions from Europe and the Chilean invaders; not to side the stone pier by the lighthouse; the old clock at its top pointed to the hour of eight in the

But as soon as Le Mire found out that Lier held any interest for her We took an afternoon train and arrived at the capital in time for dinner

There it was, in picturesque old Lima, that Le Mire topped her career

On our first afternoon we betook ourselves to the fashi+onable paseo, for it was a band day, and all Liay and fashi+onable croas turned on Le Mire Then, as luck would have it, I met, quite by chance, a friend of mine who had come to the University of San Marcos soy He introduced us, with an air of iroups of fashi+on, and finally to the president hiuests under the roof of a luxurious and char country house at Miraflores

Le Mire took the capital by storm Her style of beauty was peculiarly fitted for their appreciation, for pallor is considered aLima ladies But that could scarcely account for her unparalleled triumph I have often wondered--was it the effect of a premonition?

The president himself sat by her at the opera There were two duels attributed to her within a week; though how the deuce that was possible is beyond iven by Le Mire; her hand flung the rose to the ht thousand excited spectators see her or hiht so croith incidents

But Le Mire soon tired of it, as was to be expected She greetedat the breakfast table:

”My friend Paul, let us go to Cerro de Pasco They have silver--thousands and thousands of tons--and what you call theested

”Why not?”

”But, my dear Desiree, what shall we do with the yacht?”

”Pooh! There is the captain Come--shall I say please?”

So ent to Cerro de Pasco I wrote to Captain Harris, telling hi him sufficient funds to last till our return

I verily believe that every one of note in Lima came to the railroad station to see us off

Our compartment was a mass of flowers, which caused h, did not like them When we had passed out of the city she threw the jokes at the expense of the donors She was in the best of humor

We arrived at Oroya late in the afternoon, and departed for Cerro de Pasob rail on the following ht miles is unsurpassed in all the world

Snow-capped peaks, bottoe masses of boulders that seem ready to crush the train surround you on every side, and now and then are directly above or beneath you

Le Mire was profoundly impressed; indeed, I had not supposed her to possess the sensibility she displayed; and as for ested the trip You who find yourselves too well-acquainted with the Rockies and the Alps and the Hi for you

But for the story

We found Cerro de Pasco, interesting as its situation is, far short of our expectations It is atown, filled with laborers and speculators, noisy, dirty, and coarse We had been there less than forty-eight hours when I declared to Harry and Le Mireat once

”But the Andes!” said Le Mire ”Shall we not see them?”

”Well--there they are”